Message #10 From:
NewsBot Date: December 6, 2006 01:15:00 PM
PIM News Putnam Investment Grade Municipal Trust Shareholders to Vote on Open-Ending
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Putnam Investments announced today that the agenda for the next annual
meeting of shareholders of Putnam Investment Grade Municipal Trust
(NYSE: PGM) will include a vote on whether to convert the closed-end
fund to an open-end investment company. As noted in the fund’s
2006 proxy statement, the fund’s next annual
meeting is expected to be held in April 2007, although it could occur at
an earlier or later date.
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust requires the
submission of such a proposal to shareholders at the Fund’s
next annual meeting if the average discount of its share price to net
asset value exceeds 10% during the last 12 calendar weeks of its fiscal
year. The requirement has been triggered for the fiscal year ending
November 30, 2006. According to the Declaration of Trust, the conversion
proposal requires approval of a majority of the outstanding shares
entitled to vote.
In June 2006, shareholders of the Fund voted, in accordance with the
recommendations of the Fund’s Trustees, to
defeat an identical proposal. Fewer than 17% of the Fund’s
outstanding shares were voted in favor of conversion. Similar conversion
proposals that other Putnam closed-end funds have submitted to their
shareholders in recent years likewise have consistently fallen well
short of the requirement for approval.
About Putnam Investments: At Putnam Investments, our top priority
remains prudently managing money for our more than 10 million individual
and institutional investors worldwide. Since 1937, our values have been
rooted in a profound sense of responsibility for the money entrusted to
us. We use a research-driven team approach to seek consistent,
dependable, superior investment results over time, although there is no
guarantee a fund will meet its objectives. We are committed to doing
what's right for investors, including maintaining stringent investor
protections for every Putnam fund.
Founded in 1937, Putnam Investments is one of the nation’s
oldest and largest money management firms. As of November 30, 2006,
Putnam managed $191 billion in assets, of which $123 billion is for
mutual fund investors and $68 billion is for institutional clients.
Putnam has headquarters in Boston and offices in London and Tokyo. For
more information, go to www.putnaminvestments.com.